Alcoholics Anonymous is a worldwide fellowship of people who readily admit to being alcoholics and who are there to help each other stay sober. It was started in the year 1935 in the United States. Alcoholics Anonymous now consists of an estimated 67,000 local groups and over 1.5 million members in 92 countries. More than 1 million of those members are in the United States. One group is in all but the smallest towns and several groups are in the large cities. A listing of these locations can be found in the telephone directory.
Membership to Alcoholics Anonymous is open to anyone that has a drinking problem and has a desire to become and/or continue to stay sober. There is no fee to become a member of the organization. The organization relies on contributions from the members. Members are of all races, nationalities, and occupations. The members range from people whose health, careers, and relationships have been totally destroyed by alcoholism to those who sought help at an earlier stage of their illness. Alcoholics Anonymous is not affiliated with a sect, political party, institution, or any other organization. It has a policy with other organizations that fight alcoholism.
There are two types of local Alcoholic Anonymous meetings. At a open meeting, which anyone can attend( including members’ families), people describe their lives as alcoholics and the effect the organization has in helping them refrain from drinking. At closed meetings, which only members can attend, new members are asked to describe their drinking problems and the difficulties of abstaining. Other members who have had the same difficulties can suggest methods of staying sober and ways in which other problems can be surmounted. A program for recovery is suggested. Many members find that helping other alcoholics to stay sober is a way to remain sober themselves.
